Legacy of the Destined
by deus athei
Summary: Six Guardsman from six different temples join together on a routine mission, but when things suddenly go wrong they find themselves being immersed in an adventure so epic it will be told for generations to come. AU, but with Digimon.


It was hot, one of the hottest days summer could offer. It was the kind of day where the scorching sun sent most sensible creatures straight for the nearest river or lake; while others sought refuge in the shade of nearby trees and rocks. Unfortunately humans are expected to do their jobs despite Mother Nature's mood and thus one Taichi Yagami found himself in the middle of the sweltering heat, without any shade.

The boy let out a sigh, leaning further back onto the cart he was riding on. He briefly wondered if it was worth it to cover himself with the tarp that was concealing the merchant's goods from unfriendly eyes. He promptly decided that it wasn't worth the risk of releasing hotter, stuffy air no doubt contained under the tarp. Taichi heard some movement beside him and a few seconds later he heard the question from his companion that accompanied it.

"What's the matter Taichi?"

Taichi considered responding with the frank and obvious 'it's too hot', but knew that his partner wasn't going to be deceived that easily, so instead he gave the best answer he could think of. "It's… it's this job Agumon," Taichi said "it's just this job."

"What do you mean?" the Digimon responded looking slightly perplexed, "I thought you wanted to do this, what about everything we went through just to be here."

That was true, Taichi had practically begged his boss to allow him to come, but everything had sounded more exciting at the time. Once a year the six Temples sent one young Guardsman each on a joint mission. The point of the mission was to 'improve relations and cooperation between the Temples'; normally the job was a symbolic one, opening a national park and overseeing a meeting between the Federal and State council men were two recent examples of just how boring the job could be. This year however, the job was to escort some traders through a narrow path that was both too rugged for a Trailmon but the cargo was too heavy and too large to fly in. Going on a once in a life time adventure, combined with the prospect of finding like-minded individuals, was too much for Taichi to resist.

To say that it had been below Taichi's expectations would be putting it mildly. Ever since they had left the city a day and a half ago, the convoy had yet to encounter a single Wild One. Had Taichi thought about beforehand he should have expected this outcome, Wild Ones that lived long enough to make it to Adult were not suicidal, and taking on a large group was not very high on their priority list. There was one incident near the end of yesterday. A Peckmon, the partner of one of the regulars in the convoy, had spotted a herd of about ten Allomon. Even then though, Taichi and the other five Guardsmen merely Digivolved to Adult level to scare them off and the day passed without incident.

The other Guardsmen had also been a disappointment. Most of them were content to keep to themselves, only opening their mouths to eat or criticize him. While their Digimon were a bit nicer, they mostly hung around their respective guardsmen, so Taichi didn't make too much contact with any of them. Mostly Taichi was forced to talk to Agumon for company.

Before he could think of a way to explain this to his partner that didn't sound like whining, Taichi heard a high-pitched voice calling out.

"Here he is, Sora, I found him, this way Sora."

Taichi swore in his head and jumped off the back of the cart pulling Agumon with him in hopes he could still fool the red haired girl before she turned the corner.

"Finally I found you," Sora said letting out a sigh, "what are you doing here anyway?"

"Just walking between these carts and making sure nothing falls out" Taichi quickly lied, sending a glare at Agumon to be sure the Digimon didn't blow his cover.

"No he wasn't, I was watching he was resting on the wagon so he didn't have to walk." Biyomon, Sora's partner practically sang.

"Oh really, just walking between the carts huh?" Sora's voice made it obvious that she believed her partner over Taichi.

In all truth, Sora was the one saving grace this mission had for Taichi, while he couldn't stand the other Guardsmen, Sora and he had grown up in the same neighbourhood and been friends throughout childhood. Their friendship didn't even waver when, as Guardsmen, Sora was sent to the Temple of Love and Taichi was sent to the Temple of Courage. Since they were both here, the four had instantly reconnected and Sora and Biyomon were the only ones Taichi could stand talking to, besides Agumon of course.

That didn't mean Taichi was any less frustrated with Byomon right now.

"So what if I was," Taichi defended "that Sincerity girl has hitching rides practically nonstop since we started, isn't there some sort of physical strength needed to be a Guardsman? How did she even pass?"

"Her name is Mimi" Sora reprimanded, though her voice showed she didn't mean it, "and only twice, when she was talking to the regulars, it's not like she was trying to hide it."

Taichi suppressed a grimace, out of all the other guardsman, Mimi was probably the one he disliked the most. It wasn't that she was anti-social, like the others were, and he even admitted that she was a little cute, but the girl would just not stop talking. Most of the time Taichi figured even she didn't know what she was talking about; let alone whoever she was talking to.

"And don't judge her too harshly." Sora continued, as if she knew Taichi's thoughts, "she's just a little more talkative than most, and stuck with, well three introverts and you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Taichi asked with mock hurt, although his question was promptly ignored.

"Yeah and Palmons a pretty sensible Digimon too, so they just balance each other out" Agumon cut in, further annoying Taichi by distracting from his question.

Taichi rolled his eyes, earning him a smack from Sora.

"Well mister high and mighty," she said "if you can display some of that 'phisical strength' you think guardsman need, do you think you could actually walk to the front of the caravan, Mr. Timon wants to meet with all the Guardsmen."

Taichi just sighed.

* * *

By the time Taichi, Sora and their Digimon had made to the front of the caravan all the other Guardsmen had already gathered with Mr. Timon in the center. The man looked to be in his mid-forties in a few more years he would probably have to give up this line of work for something less adventurous. Timon's clothes were light but strong, and covered in more dirt than Taichi thought could be washed off, which was expected of someone in his line of work. Timon's partner, a Monochromon, led the convoy having both the necessary strength to carry a cart for long hours and the hard shell to repel any surprise attacks.

It was the blond Guardsman, the one from the Temple of Friendship, who first noticed the new arrivals.

"Finally" he said with clear frustration, "can you tell us why we're here now?"

Mr Timon looked irritated, but explained anyway, "The scouts have reported a Wild One heading on a crash course with the convoy, a Perfect-Triceramon" a slight pause, "there's a narrow passage that we'll have to pass through and we want you guys", he thrust a dirt covered finger at the Guardsman, "to stay behind and scare the beast away."

Taichi was ecstatic, this was the first time he was engaging with a Wild One his whole career and a Perfect no less. This was the time to make his move, to make-or-break his career. And if he was lucky he might even be as famous as Hida or Pendragon. Taichi looked to Agumon and saw that he too was raring to go.

The others were less enthusiastic, to say the least.

"Are you crazy?" the blue haired boy asked while adjusting his glasses, "that things a Perfect, ten Adult Digimon couldn't beat it, how you expect us to do it with six?"

"Joe's right" the boy's partner, A Gomamon added "besides how are we supposed to catch back up with the convoy, I'm not exactly built for walking ya know."

Mr. Timon was unperturbed "You have two flier's right? Catching up should be a simple matter, now look here," he pointed to a canyon about a mile off "that's where you need to stop it."

"Hold on," The blond this time with more than a hint of cynicism in his voice "you didn't answer the first question, how do you expect us to beat the Wild One"

Timon met this with an annoyed glare, "You are young but your still Guardsman aren't you? If six of you can't scare away one Perfect, then you won't last very long, now quit whining and hurry up. I don't want this shipment to be late because you guys keep asking stupid questions."

And so it was that not half an hour later Taichi found himself with the four Guardsmen he had come to dislike the most, a pack of Adult Digimon, and Sora. He took this opportunity to once again size up his fellow Guardsmen and, more importantly, their Digimon partners.

First up was Greymon, Tai's own trusted partner who was Agumon's Adult form. Greymon was a bipedal lizard like Agumon; however Greymon was much larger, about two stories tall with a body that scaled accordingly. The dinosaur Digimon was mostly orange with thin blue stripes, except for the top of his head where the skin grew thick and brown from the upper jaw ending in three horns at the top: one at the snout with the other two on opposite sides of the rear of his head. Taichi knew from experience that Greymon's head made it ideal for ramming large Digimon, but his true strength was in the 'Nova Blast' fireball Greymon could shoot from his mouth; the blast was very powerful, but relatively slow making it best for midrange combat.

Next up was Sora and Birdramon. Sora was pretty much the same as ever Taichi decided. The girl had taken it upon herself to become the communicator of the group, being the most socially apt (she had even taught Taichi the rest of the Guardsman's names) and was currently talking with the other girl, Mimi.

Birdramon, was - well - a bird. It was also roughly as big as Greymon, and covered in feathers that were the same orange as her partner's hair. Taichi knew that Birdramon was a long-distance fighter, normally barraging its opponents with fireballs shot from its wings with the aptly named "Meteor Wing" attack. It could also dive bomb and - if needed - ram foes. Taichi had seen this happen more than once, but had Birdramon a tendency not to attack opponents physically that unless the situation was desperate.

Taichi then looked at the girl Sora was talking to, Mimi A.K.A the girl who never stopped complaining. He wasn't sure just how the Temple of Sincerity trained their Guardsman, but if she was any indication then it was nowhere near as grueling a method as the Temple of Courage favoured. Heck the speed of the convoy was 'leisurely' to Taichi, and this encounter with Triceramon was the highlight of the mission. But to Mimi it saw 'so tiring' to keep up with the convoy and 'such a pain' to have to deal with a Perfect.

Her partner, once-Palmon-now-Togemon was essentially a giant, human shaped cactus wearing boxing gloves. Although it was larger than any human, it was still smaller than Greymon or Birdramon, and Taichi thought that its punches would hurt more with the boxing gloves off. Its signature attack "Needle Spray" was, according his D-terminal, an attack that shot needles at the foe point-blank. All in all Togemon was a close range fighter that left Taichi less than impressed.

Taichi then looked at the other chief complainer, 'Jou' and his partner Ikkakumon. Ikkaumon was an aquatic Digimon, so it would be near useless on land, luckily it's "Harpoon Torpedo" attack could be used to fire 'torpedoes' over long distances, but the Digimon still had the disadvantage of being on land and despite its legs, Taichi doubted that it would be much use if it ever had to move. He also doubted Jou would be much use; the blue haired boy didn't have a positive bone in his body as far as Taichi could tell.

The next boy, Koushiro looked a little better, despite being as physically fit as a desk the short boy had been absolutely absorbed in his D-terminal since leaving the convoy. If he was anything like Taichi, he was preparing for the upcoming fight. Although the accuracy of the D-terminals database varied with the Digimon Triceramon (and all the present Adults, for that matter) were common enough to gleam useful data from.

The boy's partner, a Tentomon-turned-Kabutarimon was the other flier Timon had mentioned. The Insect Digimon was smaller, but more agile than Birdramon and its attack "Electro Shocker" shoots a ball of electricity at its foe. Kabuterimon's had a thick exoskeleton on its head with a single large horn, ideal for ramming; but the thinness of its arms, despite their being four of them, made Taichi doubt Kabuterimon's usefulness in close range combat.

The last Digimon, a Garurumon, was the smallest of the six, though standing on two legs the wolf Digimon might have been taller than Togemon, on all fours it was by far the smallest. That came with advantages though, Garurumon was noticeably faster than any other Adults they had. Also it's "Howling Blaster" technique unleased a stream of fire that, while weaker than most other unique attacks, still dealt decent damage and could easily be fired on the move. Taichi decided Garurmon was probably a midrange type, but with its focus on movement he wondered what happened if it actually got hit.

Finally Taichi looked at the blond, 'Yamato', Taichi remembered; while the two had little interaction something about the blond ticked Taichi off. Yamato wasn't as whiny as Joe or Mimi, but Taichi couldn't help but feel an antagonistic vibe from the boy. Since arriving at the mouth of the canyon he had done nothing but lean against the canyon wall occasionally talking in a hushed whisper with Garurumon.

Two long-range, three mid-range and a single close-range fighter, not ideal but you play the cards you're dealt. Taichi looked up at the canyon pass; the walls went up about twenty meters either side and at a very steep angle. About a hundred meters down the pass curved and Taichi briefly wondered if the pass became curvy afterward, and, if so, whether they should just ambush the Triceramon there. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts; no, he decided, they wouldn't be able to see it coming so they would be as likely to be surprised by the Perfect as surprise it.

Besides, meeting the adversary fair and square on the battle field was just more fun. It wasn't like they were actually going to lose, as Timon said six Guardsmen should be able to fight off a Perfect, and even if they couldn't Taichi still had his trump card.

Just then a gust of wind blew and Taichi turned his body and shut his eyes to keep the dust out. He saw everyone else do the same, except Jou who had small plastic clips on the side of his glasses to keep the dust out. Following his lead Taichi began to fish an old pair of goggles out from his pack. When he set off on this mission he hadn't expected to use them, nor was he overly concerned about betting dust in his eye, but when this was the first Wild One battle in his career and he didn't want to miss a second of the action.

"It's here!"

Sora's sudden shout startled Taichi, though he'd never admit it, and as the boy looked up he could see the cause. On the horizon was a small green dot, closing fast and heading straight for them. He smiled and put the goggles on, before being startled again by Sora, this time she was pulling on his arm.

"Come on," she said, pulling him towards a large boulder that the rest of the Guardsmen were huddled behind. "we have to get out of here before it reaches us."

Triceramon was dinosaur Digimon that stood maybe a head taller than Greymon. Its entire body was covered in think green and brown skin, its arms and legs both ended in tough claws able to break boulders. However the main characteristic of Triceramon was its head; it bore three horns positioned similar to Greymons own, but they were much larger and tougher. The two rear horns were probably about twice the size of the one on its snout and they looked like they could skewer Greymon completely with enough force. Finally the back of its head ended in a large armoured frill, which probably did little for protection but was menacing enough in its own right.

Taichi felt a little pathetic, hiding while Greymon and the others fought, he had never hidden while his partner battled before but then again he'd never needed to. People often called Taichi reckless, but he wasn't stupid, he knew he would be no help against a perfect level, at least not yet, so he let Sora drag him toward the others.

Ikkakumon stared the battle off by firing two missiles; neither were very close but if the perfect had been looking to avoid fighting they might have scared it off. But to the boy's delight the Perfect level kept charging strait towards the mouth of the canyon. By the third missile Ikkakumon had found his aim, and the attack launched directly at Triceramon only to be side-stepped at the last second and collide with ground in a small explosion. The fourth and fifth attempt faired just as well, but they did provide the opening Birdramon needed. While Triceramon was focusing on Ikkakumon's barrage it failed to notice Birdramon's hail of fireballs until too late, this Adult's attack had a much wider spread than the missiles fired by Ikkakumon, and Triceramon could not dodge it in time.

Whether Triceramon felt the attack Taichi could not tell as the Perfect just kept barrelling on unperturbed. As the Digimon drew near, the next group moved forward to engage it while Ikkakumon stopped his barrage, lest he hit his allies.

Greymon and Garurumon flanked Triceramon, Garurumon on the left and Greymon on the right. Garurumon engaged first, shooting a continuous stream of fire directly at the Perfect only for Triceramon to raise its left arm and the flames to dissipate harmlessly off its armour. Greymon launched its larger, more powerful fireball only for Triceramon to raise his right arm and absorb that as well. Taichi noticed that the Perfect was only interested in protecting its face - more likely its eyes - from the flames, the Digimon had full confidence that the attacks would not harm the rest of his body, and Taichi was apt to agree with him.

But before the flames had completely dissipated a third attack struck Triceramon, this one a ball of electricity launched from Kabuterimon. Kabuterimon himself had hovered just behind Greymon, waiting for its moment to strike and surprisingly this attack did more than the rest combined causing Triceramon to veer to the left, setting the Perfect on a crash course with Garurumon.

The Adult level had no chance, and was roughly tossed aside as Triceramon barreled on through, right past Greymon before he or Kabuterimon could do anything about it. Togemon had no hope of stopping the monstrous momentum of the Perfect and merely shot a small barrage of needles at Triceramon as the beast kept on barely past, hoping to hit an eye or any other soft tissue on the armoured Digimon. The pathetic attempt was stopped immediately as Triceramon once again raised an arm to shield its eyes and once again deflected the attack.

Things were looking more and more hopeless for the Adult levels when suddenly Ikkakumon flung himself directly into Triceramon's path, and fired a single missile at Triceramon from no less than two meters apart. The distance was so short that the attack hadn't even the time to properly execute. Before the outer layer of the horn could peel away to reveal the missile inside it had already come into contact with its target and exploded. Not even Triceramon could doge the attack at point-blank range and while the horn covering the missile reduced the explosive power of the attack, it did not reduce the momentum. With a yelp the Wild One flew flat on its backside, its terrible charge finally halted.

Another yelp came as Kabuterimon blasted away at the Perfect before it could recuperate and Triceramon quickly tried to maneuver back on to its hind legs. Greymon's head rammed it directly into the nearest canyon wall near instantly; creating a small indent as the rocks gave way to the Digimon's strength. Then, not even a second after Greymon had moved away Triceramon was engulfed in flame; Birdramon had attacked again, this time concentrating its fire on one place instead of thinning it out as it had last time.

Annoyed Triceramon launched itself forward, probably hopping to catch Greymon off-guard and resume plowing its way through the Adult levels, but was again stopped, this time by a right hook from Togemon. With all of its momentum lost Triceramon was forced into a close quarters match with the cactus Digimon. Normally this wouldn't be much of a problem for a Perfect but Greymon and Garurumon supported their fellow Adult level with flames, the attacks were not too damaging; both Digimon were trying hard not to hit Togemon, but they still did wonders to equal the playing field. Although the Adults were doing unexpectedly well it wasn't until Kabuterimon flew directly above Triceramon that the battle was decided.

It was in that moment that Triceramon's horns lit up and a beam of energy collided directly with the insect Digimon. Before any of the Guardsmen could register a thing the Adult level let off an eerie glow as it shrunk down to its Child form. Tentomon - the small red beetle Digimon that Kabuterimon had regressed into - flew just enough to get behind Triceramon before collapsing hard into the ground.

"Tentomon"

Taichi heard a desperate voice, Koushirou's voice, ring out and he realized that instant that neither he nor any of the other Guardsmen had dared to speak since the battle began. They were holding their baited breath as if one simple word could curse or condemn both them and their partners to the sorrows of defeat. Alas the superstition had not done the trick for while their rag-tag group of Adults may have been able to stand against a Perfect that was withholding its special move, it was doubtful that the six stood a chance when Triceramon got serious. Even more doubtful now that there were only five Adults left.

Taichi, being the most coordinated of the Guardsmen was the one who defaulted to holding down Koushiro as the boy struggled vainly to reach his partner. While Taichi sympathized with the boy he also knew that adding another useless body to the mix would not help their already slim chances of winning. It was cocky to think it would be easy to defeat Triceramon, but Taichi had done just that and now if things continued like this Taichi would undoubtedly have to bring out his secret weapon here, in front of everyone. Even then Taichi had become suddenly unsure if that could do anything to sway the battle.

Triceramon had immediately capitalized on the other Digimons' shock at seeing one of their own fall; he threw Togemon into Ikkakumon and battered Greymon out of the way before any of the others could react. Garurumon had managed to catch up to it and sink its teeth into the Perfect level's right arm. Before, when Triceramon was just trying to run past the Guardsmen, it may have tried to shake the wolf Digimon off but now the Wild One responded by hurling its entire right side –Garurmon included- into the canyon wall. The Adult level reflexively unclenched its jaw from the impact and was subsequently covered in the rubble resulting from the collision with the cliff face.

Before anyone could register a thing Triceramon turned back toward the heap that still consisted of Togemon and Ikkakumon before unleashing another attack- a simply named 'Try-Horned Attack' at the pair. Togemon had managed to push itself off of Ikkakumon and away from the blast, but its aquatic counterpart was not as lucky. Ikkakumon was thrown a good ten meters from the blast before landing as Gomamon, its Child form. Just like that there was another Guardsmen calling out for their partner as Sora tried her best to hold Jou back

While he had suspected it before, Taichi knew now that the Adults could not hold up against Triceramon, and that it was useless to fight unless they had a perfect of their own. Luckily that was just what Taichi had up his sleeve. His boss was hesitant to let him come on this trip but that had all changed once Taich revealed Greymon's perfect form, and now Taichi knew it was time to prove it wasn't just for show. He had obtained Perfect twice in the past, but the problem was that it came with a … dangerous start-up procedure.

Taichi thrust the boy in his arms towards the other panicking Guardsmen. He let out a quick shout of "Don't worry, I have a plan" and ran straight towards the conflict. He hastily acquired a rock and threw it at the Wild One.

"Oi ugly," he shouted "now that you're done with the weaklings want to try picking on someone who can take it for once in your life?"

The ploy worked, but it was the instant Triceramon's eyes locked on to Taichi that his courage faltered. He suddenly realized the common sense implications of what taunting something that vastly overpowered meant. Taichi was paralyzed, unable to move his body. No, he realized, it wasn't just his body everything stopped as the Perfect stared him down. When Triceramon began to move the spell was broken and Taichi was somehow able to dodge the menacing Perfect just before he was run over. The Guardsman then looked over to his partner hoping to see the more powerful yet comforting form of Greymon's own Perfect level.

What he saw was just plain old Greymon, and that alone set Taichi into a panic. Danger, that was what he had learned he needed to Digivolve to perfect, and this time he had been in far more danger than ever before, but for some reason the evolution would not trigger. Taichi frantically tried to backpedal away but found that Triceramon was already barreling down on him again. Taichi narrowly dodged for the second time but he lost his balance in the attempt-colliding with the hard ground as the goggles that he forgot he was still wearing snapped off his head and landed in the dirt beside him.

As Taichi tried to stand up and the Wild One once again circled around on him Taichi shut his eyes and completely broke. This wasn't how his first mission as a Guardsman was supposed to go, he was supposed to be the hero, make a name for himself, and maybe even become a part of the next group of Chosen. But instead he was going to die, from a random battle with a Wild One. He wouldn't be able to see his parents or his sister or even his boss ever again. It wasn't fair; he was too young to die.

He didn't care how it happened. He just didn't want to die.

It was a sickening crunch that caused Taichi to open his eyes to a scene he never could have predicted. Triceramon had been flung a good ten feet backward, and between it and Taichi a new Digimon stood. A skeletal colossus that was quite possibly bigger than any Digimon Taichi had seen before and looked far more menacing. Ten pairs of eyes looked on in astonishment at the new arrival, and two looked on in horror. It took only a quick glance around the area for Taichi to confirm his fear, Greymon was the only Digimon that was missing, or more accurately Greymon had turned into the beast that stood before him.

This was wrong, the other times Greymon had Digivoled into MetalGreymon, a cyborg type Digimon. Digimon evolution roots were unpredictable, but they were set; once Greymon Digivolved into MetalGreymon it should not be able to turn into anything else, especially not this monstrosity.

"Skullgreymon" Taichi heard one of the other Guardsmen say, having likely looked it up in the D-terminal. The other Guardsmen had yet to catch on to Taichi's mood and why would they? Taichi said he had a plan and now they had their own perfect level firmly pointed against Triceramon. With a terrifying screech that sent a chill through Taichi's bones, Skullgreymon hurled itself at Triceramon. The Wild One was launched into the air by Skullgreymon's massive claw, and then SkullGreymon unleashed the missile from its back. The attack connected in mid-air with a blinding flash, if Triceramon even survived that attack, there was no way it was coming back soon.

SkullGreymon unleased a victorious roar, and then turned back to Taichi. For a second the boy thought he could see a shadow of his partner in the Perfect's eyes, the Digimon that he had grown up beside and shared so many memories with. His view was quickly obscured by a skeletal foot flying towards him.

Taichi didn't have the time, or willpower to doge the attack, and watched in horror as his partner, his best friend, was about to bring an end to his life. Taichi felt the shockwave from Skullgreymon's foot hitting the ground, but not the impact. He saw the Digimon raise its foot to reveal a pair of very broken goggles where he had been moments earlier.

It took a punch to the face to realize that someone had pushed him out of the way, and another to realize who.

"That's your brilliant plan?" the blond – Yamato - said "almost get yourself killed to trigger an evolution that tries to kill you? Do you have a death wish or something?"

Taichi knew Yamato was right, despite the fact that SkullGreymon was not part of his plan at all. Still Taichi was feeling agitated and guilty after seeing Greymon's new Digivolution, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let this punk call him out.

"Better than yours, at least I tried to do something instead of hiding behind a rock like a coward."

Taichi could tell his words had an impact just by the look on Yamato's face but before the blond could respond Sora's voice cut across them both. "Guys look out!"

Taichi looked up to see Skullgreymon, who had effortlessly swatted away Birdramon and Togemon while he and Yamato were arguing, sending a skeletal claw down at the Guardsmen. For the third time in what had to be less than a minute Taichi thought he was going to die, and for the third time, he was wrong. Before the claw could connect with the boys it was kicked away by a figure that Taichi could instantly tell was definitely an evolved form of Garurumon.

This new Digimon had the same fur pattern as Garurumon, but stood like a human, on its chest it wore a strap filled with bullets, while from the waist down it had acquired a handy new set of pants.

"Since when could you go Perfect?" Taichi asked with equal tones accusation and relief.

"Five seconds ago." Yamato said, while the deadpan in his voice tried to hide it, the Guardsman's face showed the wonder and excitement of reaching Perfect for the first time.

Both boys' attention was drawn once again by SkullGreymon who crouched laterally aiming its demonic missile straight at the pair. Taichi felt his stomach churn for two reasons; mostly because he if that missile went off anywhere in the canyon everyone, not even Skullgreymon would escape the blast, but more importantly he wanted to find out why Agumon wanted to kill him so much.

Had he chanced a glance around, Taichi would have found everyone was filled with as much terror as he was, everyone except Yamato and his partner that was. But as this was his fourth near death experience in what Taichi could swear was both a minute and an hour at the same time, and he decided to stare the missile down. This time at least he would face death head on like a man; he swallowed hard as he saw the missile rush forward to meet him only to soar far over his head.

Taichi instantly new what saved him, he had seen it. The Garurumon's Perfect level had waited until the missile was straight on top of him, then he jumped up pushing the missile well above the canyon wall. Had SkullGreymon been more focused on its foe and less focused on Taichi it probably would have won but its single-mindedness saved them all. Taichi, along with Yamato and his partner, were the only ones who did not stop to check the missiles new trajectory, instead the boys watched as the wolf-man Digimon charged directly at Skullgreymon. With a kick to the side of its head SkullGreymon was sent reeling into the canyon wall. The wolf-man Digimon followed up with a slashing motion with its right hand, and as it moved the claw left behind a trail of energy that crashed into Skullgreymon, finally defeating the beast.

As Taichi watched his partner shrink, nothing else registered in his mind. The other Guardsmen were talking, make comments about how lucky they were to be alive and running to their partners, but Taichi didn't notice. He didn't even notice when Yamato's partner-he never caught its new name-shrunk down to nothing more than a head. No, the only thing that mattered to Taichi was his partner and how in the span of minutes it gone from good old Greymon, to a terrible monstrosity, to now nothing more than a helpless Infant.

And it was all his fault.

* * *

**A / N**

**If you're still reading to this point then; thank you for giving this story a real try.**

**The general idea of this fic is that it is supposed to be season one set in a world where every human has a Digimon partner. As an AU the villains from the show will show up, but with different battle/motives from before but I started in the "Etemon" level of progression became a) the first few episodes were basic introductions to the humans/Digimon that you should know if you're here and b) in -universe reaching Adult is something that everyone understood to do by the time they're an adult, so it's nothing special. Also much of the technology will feel inconstant, for example due to the size of adult levels a standard car does not exist, but D-terminals do. Computers exist but are expensive (I'll explain later) and Digivices do not.**

**Another thing to note is that the names for Digievolution levels are based off the Japanese version as it fits more naturally with the universe, but with the change that baby level II is called Infant instead. So the full line is:**

**Egg-Baby-Infant-Child-Adult-Perfect-Ultimate**

**Also all Digimon used can be found on Digimon Wikia if you want more detailed explanations, just because –like the Allomon in this chapter- it doesn't make sense to give a full description for a Digimon that doesn't even appear.**

**Comments, criticism appreciated.**


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